Aegean Sea

The Aegean Sea is covered in a silver swath of sunglint in this true-color Terra MODIS image from May 9, 2005. The sunglint, which is essentially glare in MODIS' "eye," highlights the ruffled water's surface, while calm waters remain a deep blue-black. On the left, mountainous Greece is covered in green pastures and forests, with bright white clouds clinging to islands and peaks alike. On the right, most of Turkey remains comparatively cloud-free, though its shades of green are more muted than those across the Sea. Scattered red dots throughout the image mark locations where the MODIS instrument detected fires.